But if he doesn’t hit the ground running, making that F1 debut in the near future could get a lot trickier.Īdvert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free And there are still eight vacant slots on the 20-car grid.Ī strong F2 debut this year could sweep the bearer of F1’s most famous surname to a debut a little over 12 months from now.
Nor will Schumacher resume his rivalry with Dan Ticktum, as Red Bull has placed their leading junior driver in Japan’s Super Formula championship.īut experienced competition from the likes of Sergio Sette Camara, Nyck de Vries, Jack Aitken and Louis Deletraz will be much tougher benchmark for Schumacher. He also has the advantage of knowing four of last year’s top five won’t be back ( George Russell, Norris and Alexander Albon have all graduated to F1, and Artem Markelov’s career was derailed by his father’s arrest last year. Within the Prema fold, Schumacher should have no trouble showing points-dodger Sean Gelael the way. Not to mention the knowledge that the Lawrence Stroll-owned team took Pierre Gasly and Charles Leclerc to championship success in its first two seasons at this level. It will also be his first time getting to grips with the unusual characteristics of Pirelli’s tyres, which are very different from the Hankooks he’s been used to in F3.īut he has the benefit of some continuity through staying with Prema. He will have a new car to master, one which many of his rivals already know well from its introduction last year. How likely is Schumacher to hit that target? He faces many unknowns as he joins F1’s leading junior series. He will need to finish at least sixth in F2 this year to do that, without having to do something like enter the Macau Grand Prix in November where an extra five are available.
Schumacher’s third in the 2016-17 MRF Challenge does not earn him superlicence pointsĪs Schumacher didn’t score any superlicence points in 2017, he will need to score at least 10 in his first season of F2 or he won’t able to race an F1 car in 2020.
Series schedule subject to change due to pandemic races in Mexico and London subject to circuit homologation.NB. Top 10 in the season points earn Super License points down to ond point for a 10th-place finish. Winning the Formula E championship is worth 30 of those points, second place in the season championship is worth 25 points, third place is worth 20 points.
Drivers wishing to race in Formula 1 need to earn 40 Super License points over a three-year period. That Mexico City circuit, which has hosted five previous Formula E races, is currently being used as a temporary field hospital in the fight against the pandemic in that country.Īs an added incentive this season, Formula E drivers are competing not only for race wins and the series championship, but also FIA Super License points. That race replaces, for one year anyway, the annual stop at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City.
The other North American stop is scheduled for Puebla, Mexico. Video: Alex Lynn's Formula E Machine Goes Airborne